Facebook Targets May 17th For IPO Date

techcrunch.com

26 points·dwynings··8 comments

May 17 is a terrible time to IPO. Facebook will be fighting against a falling stock market. Operation twist is about to end, and there are a lot of believers in "Sell in May and go away."

The goal of an IPO is to give company liquidity for stock it sells, and to line the pockets of employees who've put sweat equity into the startup.

Whether FCBK goes IPO with a big pop, or instead slowly grows after release into a steady push, it will be in no better position - it's coffers will be lined the same, and the brand still as strong.

Given the popularity and current profitability, I doubt it's going to go GRPN and flounder or sink despite a generally sagging market.

Out of curiosity, I just looked up how Google's IPO faired: it closed day one as a public company valued at $27 billion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/20/opinion/google-goes-public...

a "bubbly" 27 billion, no less. wonder what that means, in retrospect.

It means don't trust fuddy-duddy newspaper editorial boards about tech firm valuations.

it means google IPO'd with a lot less revenue. most of the story back then was about it still being a bubble and Google being crap as well:

http://nikcub.appspot.com/posts/the-google-ipo-skeptics

This ends the speculation that it would be May 14th for Zuckerberg's birthday.

And there it is, it's all over.

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